Draft-rigging.



VV. P. BETTENDORF, DEC'D.

J. W. BEfTENDORF, ADMINISTRATOR Patented A auf nus WILLIAM P. BETTENDORF, DECEASED, LATE OF IDAV'EINPORT,A IWA, BY JOSEPH W. BETTENDORF, ADMINISTRATOR, OF DAVENPORT; IOWA.

DRAFT-RIGGING.

Specication of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 24, 191W.

Original application filed March 13, 1907, Serial No. 362,176. Divided and this application filed July 22, 1915, Serial No. 41,262. Renewed March 19, 1917. Serial No. 155,948.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, JOSEPH W. BETTEN- Dour, administrator of the estate of VILLIAM; P. BETTENDORF, deceased, hereby declare that said lVILLIAM P. BETTENDORF was acitizen of the United States of America, and a resident of Davenport, county of Scott, and State of Iowa, and was the inventor of certain new and useful Improvements in Draft- Rigging, of which the following is a specification, this application being a division of an application filed March 13, 1907, by said WILLIAM P. BETTENDRF, Serial No. 362,176.

This invention has relation to that type of draft rigging for railway cars, especially freight cars, in which the draft rigging is inclosed between a pair of separated sills or beams and the shank of the coupler is slidingly supported therebetween; and the object of this invention is to provide improved means for supporting the shank of the coupler, to the end that the danger of the coupler being jarred loose and allowed to fall from between the draft sills shall be greatly reduced, as more fully hereinafter set forth.

In the drawings,-

Figure 1 is a perspective view showing the draft members separated from each other and the center sills of the car;

Fig. 2 is a horizontal sectional view on the line 2-2 of Fig. 3, showing the parts as they appear when assembled; and

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional View on the line 3--3 of Fig. 2.

Referring to the drawings annexed by reference characters, a, a designate the main side members or bars of the draft rigging frame, which-are preferably of cast steel and which are adapted to be attached in any suitable manner at their rear ends to the center sill structure b. These draft sills are separated a sufficient distance and are suitably shaped to receive the usual spring draft gear. The forward ends of these draft sills preferably extend through an opening in the end Asill o of the car underframe and are rigidly connected together by a face plate d, this plate being riveted rigidly to the front flat end faces of the draft sills. At the forward ends of each of the draft sills is an inwardly extending lug or projection e, the projections on the two members abutting together at the vertical center of the rigging and thus serving to assist in spacing the front end of the draft structure.

The forward end of the draft structure is further braced by means of a. horizontal bar f which is rigidly secured between the-lower forward corners of the draft members Vby means of a horizontal bolt g extending through the draft members and longitudinally through the bar. The ends of the bar f abut rigidly against the inner faces of the draft beams and the upper face of the bar at its ends abuts against downwardly facing shoulders h formed on the respective draft members. This bar la, not only serves to brace the forward end of the draft structure, but also serves as a support or carrier for the shank of the slidable coupler, and its advantage as such is that it not only may be easily and quickly replaced when worn or broken, but also that by reason of being supported on a horizontal bolt or rod its detachment from the draft structure is prevented or rendered extremely unlikely. Heretofore the supports for the coupler shanks have been fastened to the draft beams by means of vertical bolts, so that when the nuts on the bolts work loose or the bolt is broken, the support will fall from between the draft sills and permit the coupler to sag or fall out of the draft structure. With this improved coupler shank support, it will be seen that even though the nut on the bolt works off the bolt, it will be extremely unlikely to drop the coupler shank for a considerable time, that is, before the dangerous condition is discovered.

It will be observed that the striking plate al (which directl or indirectly receives the bumping impact extends across the upper edges of the ends of the sills, thereby forming the coupler-shank opening between this striking plate and the supporting-bar f. It will be observed also that the supportingbar f is non-rotatable, being prevented from rotation by the rigid engagement of the ends with the sills and also by engagement against downwardly facing shoulders h. Constructed in this manner, it will be seen that the forward end of the draft structure is very simple in construction and yet very rigid and durable.

What is claimed as new is:

In a draft rigging for railway cars, a pair of separated draft sills adapted to receive gagenient with the aforesaid downwardlythe draft rigging between them and pro facing shoulders, and a horizontal bolt ex- 10 vided with downwardly-facing shoulders on tending through the sills and longitudinally their inner faces near their lower front corthrough said supporting-bar.

ners, a striking plate extending across the In testimony whereof I hereunto aiix my front ends of the draft sills, a coupler-shank signature.

supporting-bar having'its ends rigidly abutting the inner faces of the sills and in en- JOSEPH W. BETTENDORF. 

